Thoughts on Porsche 911 SC 1982 Project
 

I am looking at a potential project and would love your input on what you think the project is worth or things I should consider.

The story is that the wife is selling her husbands car after he passed unexpectedly which is why there is very little information about the state of the car or history.

It has 155k miles and has been in the body shop getting ready for paint. Supposedly the engine was rebuilt 8 months ago but I have no documentation as to what was actually done to it besides a 9k bill from the shop who is now out of business after 20 years. Apparently he drove the car to the body shop and the car is registered.

The car comes with plenty of boxes with OEM Porsche seals and trim pieces. Tool boxes with bolts. New tail lights and taillight housing. Brand new Bilstein suspension and links. All the glass is included. New dash gauges.

The dash is cracked and will need replaced but the leather interior looks to be in good shape.

The owner bought the car for 30k. The claim is that everything is there in order to put the car back together and all that is left is paint. However the lack of records is concerning.

The transmission goes in to gear and the clutch pedal seems firm. I have not been able to start the car as it's been sitting but going over there today to see if I can get it started.

Thank you for your insights!


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Depends on if you have the skills to put it back together. Going to cost a lot more than a running driving car if you have to pay to put it back together. A good weekend project for a couple years, for the right guy.

Thanks Matt, yes I was planning on doing the work of putting it back together myself my fear is just drowning in parts that are missing/broken since I don't know what the car looked like prior to being disassembled. Wanting to make sure I buy it at a price that reflects the risk I am taking on. Any thoughts on what you think it's worth as it sits?

That engine was rebuilt? Hardly looks touched. If $30K was his starting point and the car is in the condition that is is now, you're gonna be underwater in a hurry.

Take some time to shop nice SC's and see where they land. I'm betting you could save a lot of time and money by buying one that's already done.

2025
 

nice car . new member with a bad name . proceed with caution

WTF does that even mean? Seems like a well put together post with a bunch of photos and good description of the car. We all needed to start somewhere.

Thank you for taking the time to give your insights NYNick, that is super helpful. I got it started yesterday in a cloud of smoke so my inclination is to back off since there are no detailed receipts of the engine work that was completed.

hahah thank you for the heads up. Figured you all were a friendly bunch so I was just excited to get connected :)

A cloud of smoke is not unusual for an engine that's been sitting for a while (I don't know how big the cloud was) - seems worth trying to test compression and leakdown if you can.

That is a good idea, I will give that a shot. It had an occasional miss fire when I gave it some gentle revs. I didn't have a temp gauge so I didn't run the car up to temp to not damage the car in case something was up. I am sure the oil that was in the exhaust would have burned out. Oil level was good and oil looked clean

Agree. The puff of smoke is normal after sitting.

If you're looking for a beat up driver, you may have something. If you want a nice car, I'm guessing the paint job alone will be $10-20K depending on how much was already done to prep it.

There's a lot of work that needs to be done to this car. Reassembly is not easy. The suspension may need a complete overhaul. The interior, the gauges, the transmission, the electrical....on and on and on. It takes patience, determination and money. If you're good at such things, all the better.

On BaT SC's go for $40, 50 and 60K. Unicorns are over $100K. If you start at $30K, you'll reach $60K pretty easily.
Just saying.

BTW, I own a 1978 SC.

You don’t say where the car is geographically. Some places she could get his $30k back? But none if the other money spent. Places filthy with projects will have people only willing to pay $12-15k. I wouldn’t buy this car at either price. I don’t mess with body and paint. I’m a mechanical guy.

These are hands down the most expensive ones to buy. After you add in the cost of body work, putting it back together and all the unforeseen issues the car will have, you could have bough a no stories car. That said, I can't help myself when it comes to cars like that lol.

Hahaha yeah it’s a temptation for sure! Thank you for everyone’s insights. It has been very helpful!

Financially, probably better to buy the car you want. If you want a project, great just go in eyes wide open.

I bought a 1981 SC thinking "I'll build it into the car I want." I'll probably be in for about $100,000 once it's done. Do I regret it? No. Would it have been smarter to be patient and wait for the right car? Probably. But I also have the experience of building the car and sharing some of that with my daughter.

Pluses and minuses.

My thoughts exactly, I build for me, I build the way I want my cars (bicycles too) and, he, it’s true, very easy to get underwater, but that only matters if you’re planning on selling it.
As others have mentioned, there is no such thing as a “Cheap” Porsche 911, you either Pay upfront or pay in the end. Choose (or let your bank account and skill set guide you) what is the best way for you to make it happen.

I remember when the 986 1st came out , I had a 78 SC (still have it) , a 944 Track car (still have it) and a few Porsche projects . One of the Porsche “Leasers” suggested that I get rid off my old Porsches and get a Boxster. I pointed out that the amount of money I spent on the 914-6GT clone, I could have bought a Boxster, but that wasn’t in the vision of my dream build. Good luck with your project and quest.

I wrote an article once on the "cheap" Porsche.

https://www.pca.org/news/barnfinding-beware-the-cheap-porsche

---Adam

Proceed with caution.

The car was, perhaps, "ready for paint." Not sure it is now, depending on how long its been sitting. Primer doesn't always protect metal against moisture.

Any professional painter will want to get under the primer and start over with prep. As it sits, and depending on where you're located, a Porsche-quality repaint should be budgeted at $16-20K.

If the shop that has it can complete the paint process and their quality of work is adequate, I'd expect to spend 30% less to final, polished; ready to leave the shop.

There are a LOT of part that go into these cars, and you'd benefit from a factory workshop manual.